The world’s top 10 spirit brands

10: Ballantine’s

Produced by Pernod Ricard in Dumbarton, blended Scotch whisky Ballantine’s is the world’s second highest selling Scotch brand after Johnnie Walker. Founded in 1827 by George Ballantine, the range includes different aged variants, from 12 year old and 17 year old to the 21 year old and 30 year old.

This April, the brand unveiled a limited edition blend to mark the 2013 Ballantine’s Golf Championship held in South Korea. Ballantine’s also commissioned Scottish artist Steve Bonner to create a whisky-inspired illustrated typeface to celebrate the flavour characteristics of Ballantine’s 12 Year Old.

Featuring pears peeled into a ‘P’, and cream dripping into a ‘C’ shape, the Ballantine’s alphabet allows users to create their own Facebook cover image by mixing and matching the letters.

Earlier this year, two bottles of Ballantine’s 40 year old went on sale at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport priced at €6,000 each. Just 100 bottles of the extra aged blend are released each year and feature an etched Ballantine’s crest alongside the signature of master blender Sandy Hyslop finished with a sterling silver stopper crafted by British silversmith Richard Fox.